Across the Unforgiving Sea
by tallgreenlady
Summary: The world of Fates holds much potential, but there are many gaping holes in the story we were delivered. A rewrite of the plot of Revelations, attempting to tie up some loose ends.
1. Prologue

Author's Note: This was written as the introduction of a longer total reimagining of _Fates._ I neither have the time nor the inclination to complete it presently. Please enjoy what I do have to give!

T for language

Prologue

The Bottomless Canyon yawned before Prince Takumi of Hoshido, the jagged stone teeth making the resemblance to a dragon's maw uncanny. The trail had, impossibly, gone cold halfway across. The traitor princesses and the two Nohrians who had joined them had left a trail of trampled grass as they had passed, but had failed to pick up again on the other side. Cowards, too weak to face the consequences of their betrayal, too weak to pick a side, too weak to protect Mo-

"Prince Takumi! We must turn back!"

Takumi grit his teeth and tightened his grip around his Fuujin Yumi. He had thought that after being separated from his retainers and finding the trail left behind, the Gods might be granting him a chance to shoot a couple of traitors down. But instead, their footprints stepped onto one of the rickety bridges strung across the canyon, and apparently never stepped off on the other side.

Bitterness curled thick on his tongue as he turned on his heel to face his men. He was too close to Nohr, with too few soldiers – five samurai, whose names he did not know- to continue the hunt. But Takumi was the Captain here, and royalty besides. He couldn't let the aching wound of betrayal force him into making any more foolish mistakes today.

"We're returning to Hoshido!" he shouted. "The traitors have fled, but do not hesitate to strike them down if they return!" Takumi stepped out across the natural stone bridge and back towards Hoshido, tailing his men. He was going to have to face his siblings and admit his failure. They'd lost Mother, their stolen sibling, and Azu- _the Nohrian princess_ in less than a day, and he couldn't even deliver the traitors to justice.

Standing at the apex of the arch, a gust of wind caught his hair and blew it over his shoulder. Takumi wasn't particularly afraid of heights, but the Bottomless canyon was an unnerving place. A shiver ran up his spine despite his best efforts to conceal his fear.

A resounding CRACK echoed down the canyon, followed by a concerning rumbling. Takumi and the samurai still on the bridge froze, like frogs caught by the gaze of a snake. The stone beneath Takumi's feet shifted.

 _Oh, fuck that!_ Takumi sprinted after the samurai in front of him as they scrambled across the bridge. The chunks of rock that has been suspended by the power of a nearby dragon vein had suddenly begun to shift perilously, dropping pieces the size of flagstones into the abyss. Takumi lunged for solid ground just as the bridge collapsed completely. He caught a fistful of grass to haul himself up, his palm cut on its blades. A jittery shock of energy that always followed close calls made his blood pound and breath shutter. He glanced at the samurai on the ground next to him, making eye contact as she did the same.

A chuckle of relief broke past his lips as the situation caught up with him, and the samurai grinned crookedly back. Takumi pulled himself together gradually.

"Hah… Is everyone alright?" he asked. All five samurai motioned affirmative. "Did anyone see what triggered the collapse?" A bridge like that, built with a Dragon Vein, shouldn't have collapsed until the Vein itself ran dry, or another person with the Dragon's Blood severed the connection. Takumi could still feel the lulling pulse of energy in the back of his mind, so it was not the former. But there was no one around who could have-

Takumi caught a glimpse of a wavering purple figure in the corner of his vision just as the entire cliff side gave away beneath his feet. Takumi screamed as the Bottomless Canyon swallowed him whole.

He fell, and fell, and he remembered nothing more.


	2. Running Around Underground

Corrin's bare toes dug into the earth as she sprinted through the winding cavern, Azura, Felicia and Jakob close behind. Gunter was acting as a rear guard, the hoofbeat of his warhorse pounding loudly in Corrin's ears. All of them were worn from the skirmishes in the dark, but fear of the shadowy mage behind them spurred them all onwards.

Corrin could feel the air crackling with magic against her back, and the fresh air from the mouth of the cavern on her face. It was going to be a very, very near thing. Her feet skidded across the powdery cave dirt as the five rounded the final bend. Corrin's heart caught in her throat as they caught sight of a ghostly fighter standing inside the fortifications just inside the entrance. They couldn't afford any delays. Her fingers wrapped around the pale blue dragonstone. A focused calm settled on Corrin's shoulders. This was something she could do.

Great horns appeared around her head as she focused on the Dragon's Blood flowing through her body. A rushing sensation, like plunging into water deeper than expected washed over her, and then Corrin was running on four feet, her tail lashing. With a great forward leap, Corrin brought her fangs down into the ghostly fighter's shoulder, knocking the axe from loose fingers. Corrin nearly overbalanced on the landing, still unsure how to fight in Dragon form. Without the blind rage of Mother's death fueling her instincts to rampage, learning to fight in a form twice the size and weight of a warhorse was going to be a challenge.

Quickly! Corrin cried as the ghost fell to the cavern floor. Azura dashed by, blessed spear glinting in the wan light. Felicia and Jakob darted by as Corrin pawed the ground anxiously. As soon as Gunter was within a spears length of her, Corrin spun sharply and dashed for the exit too, wings tucking into her sides like a falcon diving. The light of Valla's sea and sky glittered, dreamlike. The realm of the Dragon Gods was just as breathtaking to see the second time, even running for her life. The impossible geography made something important occur to Corrin very suddenly.

Azura! How are we going to get back to Nohr and Hoshido!?

"The same way we got here! There's a cliff that will lead us directly to where we left!" Azura was breathless, unaccustomed to running such distances. Corrin detransformed, landing barefoot on the grass once again, and fell into place beside her. It was a very, very good thing that she did, as it turned out. When Corrin glanced over at Azura with human eyes, a flash of white caught her attention.

Despite everything bearing down on them, the heat of the moment, the fear, Corrin's pace still slowed. There was someone lying face down on the ground 50 meters away from the path. They were solid and real and hadn't yet been consumed by the flickering purple aura that surrounded every solider of Valla's ghost army. But more importantly, Corrin knew that outfit, knew that silvery hair. Shock, followed by fear rippled down her spine.

"Corrin?!" Azura and the others stopped to look at her. Corrin gestured helplessly at the body before turning and sprinting over. She fell to her knees, scrambling to turn Takumi onto his back. _Oh, Gods no, please be alright!_ It was bad enough that Ryouma and Xander had both declared her a traitor, but to lose a sibling to death? No. Her fingers pressed against Takumi's wrist, desperately feeling for a pulse as Gunter, Felicia, Jakob and Azura caught up behind them.

"Woah! I-is that the Hoshidan prince?" Felicia asked, even as she drew her Heal staff from her apron.

"Yes, Takumi! He must have come after us somehow. Is he…" Azura trailed off.

"He's alive!" Corrin gasped, dropping his wrist. Relief flooded her whole body, but the moment soon passed as reality caught up with the ragtag group. Flickering soldiers has begun to emerge from the cave already.

"Lady Corrin, we cannot spend even a moment longer here! We cannot afford the time to rescue him," Gunter shouted.

"No! I chose this path so that I wouldn't have to lose any part of my family!" Corrin hauled Takumi's arm over her shoulder, looking Gunter square in the eyes. "I will carry him, if I have to." The Fuujin Yumi slipped from the Hoshidan prince's nerveless fingers, but Jakob caught the sacred bow easily before it hit the ground.

A rush of water punctuated the moment, and the four humans were met with the surreal sight of an ancient dragon bearing a rider, like a beast of burden. Corrin clamped her wings around her brother's legs to keep him in place before charging towards the cliff, followed by Azura and by her maid and butler. Gunter shook his head in disbelief, but spurred his horse into motion once again.

Author's Note: In this story, Valla is a realm of the Dragon Gods, and not a weird lost country. This was meant to help me salvage the weird and contradictory plot of _Revelations._ Takumi is here because it was strange that something happened in 2/3 routes, but there was no explanation given for him NOT falling into Valla in the last. Lastly, both Jakob and Felicia are here because it makes little sense that only one would chase after Corrin, and not the other.


End file.
